A former Rossett School student has recently published a novel that takes place in early 20th Century Harrogate.

Gary Baysinger lived in Harrogate more than 30 years ago and has now written a war-time novella set in the town.

In the space of just ten days, he lost his mother and was diagnosed with skin cancer so took up writing “as a distraction”.

The book, A kind of Homecoming, was inspired by the 1969 film, “Oh What a Lovely War” – a musical about World War One.

A scene in the film depicts the Christmas truce of 1914, during which a German soldier tells a British solider about his love for a British girl he left behind when he went to fight.

Mr Baysinger said:

“The scene left me with more questions than answers; who is this young man? Who is the girl? Did he survive the war? Did they end up together?

“I decided to write a story and answer those questions — I set it in Harrogate because I am fond of the place.

“I think we all sometimes wonder what would have happened if life had gone different at a young age.”

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Mr Baysinger’s family moved to Harrogate in the late 1970s, where his father took a position at Menwith Hill. Despite his short stint in Yorkshire – moving back to America in 1981 – he said he “wouldn’t want to be anywhere else” at the time.

He told the Stray Ferret:

“I spent my weekdays at Rossett High School, my Saturdays at Elland Road, and my Sundays kicking a football around a muddy pitch in Hampsthwaite, or on the Stray”.

Mr Baysinger is hoping Harrogate library will keep a copy  so locals can read the war-time novel.

“I recently visited Harrogate for the first time in nearly three decades.

“I met up with some old friends and was astounded by the warmth and hospitality they showed me.”

A Kind of Homecoming is available to buy now on Amazon.

This story is sponsored by Vodafone Pro Broadband.

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This story is sponsored by Vodafone Pro Broadband.

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This story is sponsored by Vodafone Pro Broadband.

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North Yorkshire Police has said the “entirely avoidable” death of a Ripon man caused by an Amazon delivery driver on Snapchat shouold serve as a warning to motorists not to use their phones.

Daniaal Iqbal, 23, was jailed for three-and-a-half years at York Crown Court yesterday after being found guilty of causing death by dangerous driving.

He was running out of fuel and texting on Snapchat when he killed biker Peter Rushforth, 56, on on Kirkby Road near Ripon in September 2019.

Iqbal, of Toller Lane, Bradford, was on the second day of his new Amazon delivery job,

Speaking about the sentence handed to Iqbal, Detective Sergeant Kirsten Aldridge of North Yorkshire Police’s major collision investigation team, said;

“From the seconds after the collision which killed Mr Rushforth, Iqbal denied any responsibility for the collision – categorically stating he was not using his phone. However, our experienced digital forensic investigators found unquestionable evidence to challenge Daniaal Iqbal’s claims.

“This is yet another fatal collision caused by a driver who refused to listen to the warnings about the risk of using a mobile while driving and chose to blatantly disregard the law. Very sadly it’s Peter Rushforth who has paid the price for Daniaal Iqbal’s poor decision-making. To lose someone in a traffic collision is devastating. But to know that it was entirely avoidable and was caused by someone who believed sending a message was more important than their safety is galling.

“I hope the sentence handed to Daniaal Iqbal makes those drivers who may take that chance and use their mobile behind the wheel just stop and think for a moment. When you’re driving, please put your phone away – another person’s life could depend on it.”

Read more:

• Amazon driver on Snapchat jailed for causing death of Ripon biker
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An Amazon delivery driver who caused the death of a motorcyclist by dangerous driving in Ripon has been jailed.

Daniaal Iqbal, 23, was running out of fuel and texting on Snapchat when he knocked over and killed Peter Rushforth on Kirkby Road near Ripon in September 2019.

Iqbal, of Toller Lane, Bradford, denied driving dangerously, but was found guilty by a jury on August 15 this year.

He appeared before York Crown Court this afternoon where he was sentenced to three and a half years in prison.

Second day of new job

Iqbal, who was on only the second day of his new Amazon delivery job, was also allegedly using a navigational app on his mobile phone when the collision occurred.

He was driving around a sweeping bend on Kirkby Road when he collided with Mr Rushforth’s Suzuki travelling in the opposite direction, the court was told.

Mr Rushforth, 56, was on the correct side of the road as he came around the bend, but Iqbal’s white Transit van was on the wrong side. The side of the van struck Mr Rushforth’s helmet, part of which broke off.

Mr Rushforth and his motorbike then slid along the road towards the grass verge, crashing into a stone wall. He then collided with some tree branches before falling to the ground. Other motorists went to his aid, but he suffered fatal injuries and was certified dead at the scene.

York Crown Court.

The court heard that about 15 minutes before the collision on September 21, Iqbal exchanged five text messages with an Amazon colleague about needing to refuel and arranging to meet up at the Morrisons petrol station in Ripon because he didn’t have a company fuel card.

He then made a delivery in Ripon and was travelling on Kirkby Lane, towards the town, when the crash occurred at about 6.30pm.

Mr Rushforth and his bike were thrown from the road into a nearby wall and then into a tree, the court was told.

Police were called out and Iqbal, who was described as looking “completely shocked”, remained at the scene.

Phone records showed that minutes before the collision, he had carried out a search on the Apple Maps navigation app to get directions to the fuel station.

At 6.30pm, around the time of the crash, records showed that the camera and Snapchat apps on Iqbal’s phone had been activated as he approached the collision site.

Read more:

• Amazon driver found guilty of causing death of Ripon biker
• Amazon driver killed Ripon motorcyclist while he sent Snapchat message, court hears

A forensic officer said his investigation suggested that Iqbal had sent a Snapchat message to a friend at about the time the delivery van came round the bend into the path of Mr Rushforth’s motorbike.

The court heard that Iqbal was “distracted” for 32 seconds in the time that the crash happened.

‘Devastated’ and ‘remorseful’

Katherine Robinson, prosecuting, told the court this afternoon that Iqbal’s use of his phone had caused a “substantial risk of danger”.

However, Felicia Davy, mitigating, said the 23-year-old had never been before the courts before and was a “low risk” of future offending.

Ms Davy said the defendant was “devastated” and “remorseful” and that the case had been delayed for three years.

She said:

“In the three years since this offence, he has used his time as positively as possible.

“He is not somebody who has no regard or lack of appreciation of the impact on the deceased’s family.”

Iqbal did “everything appropriate” to help following the crash and has since suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder, the defence added.

Judge Simon Hickey sentenced the 23-year-old to three and a half years in prison.

Judge Hickey said while he accepted that Iqbal was a “decent young man” and was “spoken of highly”, he was distracted for too long and caused the death of an “innocent man”.

Iqbal was also disqualified from driving for 45 months.

He will serve half of his sentence before being released on licence.

A rookie Amazon driver has been found guilty of causing the death of a motorcyclist by dangerous driving.

Daniaal Iqbal, 22, was running out of fuel and texting on Snapchat when he knocked over and killed Peter Rushforth in a horror crash near Ripon in September 2019, a jury at York Crown Court was told.

Iqbal, who was on only the second day of his new Amazon delivery job, was also allegedly using a navigational app on his mobile phone when the collision occurred.

He was driving around a sweeping bend on Kirkby Road when he collided with Mr Rushforth Kawasaki Ninja travelling in the opposite direction, said prosecutor Katherine Robinson.

Mr Rushforth, who was believed to be in his late 50s, was on the correct side of the road as he came around the bend, but Iqbal’s white Transit van was on the wrong side. The side of the van struck Mr Rushforth’s helmet, part of which broke off, added Ms Robinson.

Mr Rushforth and his motorbike then slid along the road towards the grass verge, crashing into a stone wall. He then collided with some tree branches before falling to the ground. Other motorists went to his aid, but he suffered fatal injuries and was certified dead at the scene.

Ms Robinson said that about 15 minutes before the collision on September 21, Iqbal exchanged five text messages with an Amazon colleague about needing to refuel and arranging to meet up at the Morrisons petrol station in Ripon because he didn’t have a company fuel card.

He then made a delivery in Ripon and was travelling on Kirkby Lane, towards the town, when the crash occurred at about 6.30pm.

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Mr Rushforth and his bike were “thrown from the road into nearby vegetation and a small wall”.

Police were called out and Iqbal, who was described as looking “completely shocked”, remained at the scene.

Snapchat activated

Phone records showed that minutes before the collision, he had carried out a search on the Apple Maps navigation app to get directions to the fuel station.

At 6.30pm, around the time of the crash, records showed that the camera and Snapchat apps on Iqbal’s phone had been activated as he approached the collision site.

A forensic officer said his investigation suggested that Iqbal had sent a Snapchat message to a friend at about the time the delivery van came round the bend into the path of Mr Rushforth’s motorbike. Ms Robinson said:

“The conclusion is that (Iqbal) hadn’t seen the motorbike until after the collision because, we say, he was using his mobile phone.”

The collision expert said Iqbal could have been looking at the Apple Maps navigation aid or pressing the activate button on Snapchat around the time of the collision.

Iqbal, of Toller Lane, Bradford, claimed he hadn’t been using his phone and was on the correct side of the road at the time of the crash. He didn’t dispute that he caused the death of Mr Rushforth but denied that he was driving dangerously.

Motorbike enthusiast

Graham Atkinson, a friend of Mr Rushforth and a fellow motorbike enthusiast, said he received a text from his mate on the day of the crash saying that he was coming to see him and was “setting off in five minutes”.

Mr Atkinson had offered his friend a motorbike and Mr Rushforth was on his way to look at the bike when the fatal crash occurred.

He said Mr Rushforth never showed up and when he tried to call him later that evening, his phone went to voicemail.

He said they had known each other since the mid-1960s when Mr Rushforth’s parents ran a post office in Ripon.

He said Mr Rushforth was a “quiet chap” who had a garage on North Street where he kept his motorbikes.

The jury found Iqbal guilty as charged following a week-long trial. Judge Simon Hickey adjourned sentence to October 14.

A rookie Amazon driver who was running out of fuel knocked over and killed a motorcyclist while texting on Snapchat and using a navigational app on his mobile phone, a court heard.

Daniaal Iqbal, 22, was on only his second day in the job when he drove around a sweeping bend on Kirkby Road near Ripon and collided with a Kawasaki Ninja bike travelling in the opposite direction, a jury at York Crown Court was told.

The rider, Ripon man Peter Rushworth, who was in his late 50s, was on the correct side of the road as he came around the bend, but Mr Iqbal’s white Transit van was on the wrong side, said prosecutor Katherine Robinson.

The side of the van struck Mr Rushworth’s helmet, part of which broke off, she added. 

Mr Rushworth and his motorbike then slid along the road towards the grass verge, crashing into a stone wall. Mr Rushworth then collided with some tree branches before falling to the ground.

Other motorists went to his aid, but he suffered fatal injuries and was pronounced dead at the scene.

Ms Robinson said that about 15 minutes before the collision on September 21, 2019, Mr Iqbal exchanged five text messages with an Amazon colleague about needing to refuel and arranging to meet up at the Morrison’s petrol station in Ripon because he didn’t have a company fuel card. 

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He then made a delivery in Ripon and was travelling on Kirkby Lane, towards the town, when the crash occurred at about 6.30pm.

Mr Rushforth and his bike were “thrown from the road into nearby vegetation and a small wall”, said Ms Robinson.

Police were called out and Mr Iqbal, who was described as looking “completely shocked”, remained at the scene. He told them he had been on the correct side of the road and that he was coming round the bend when “all of a sudden his driver’s-side mirror glass got hit”.

He claimed he had “slammed on” the brakes straight away and that the first time he saw the motorbike was “just before I hit it”.

Phone records showed that minutes before the collision, Mr Iqbal had carried out a search on the Apple Maps navigation app to get directions to the fuel station.

Ms Robinson said:

“The phone does not record the Maps app being closed until after the collision.”

Snapchat message

At 6.30pm, around the time of the crash, records showed that the phone’s camera and Snapchat apps had been activated as Mr Iqbal approached the collision site. 

A forensic officer who examined the phone said his investigation suggested that Mr Iqbal had sent a Snapchat message to a friend at about the time the delivery van came around the bend into the path of Mr Rushforth’s motorbike. 

The Snapchat app was only closed after the collision and tracker data showed that “harsh braking” of the van only occurred after the crash.

Ms Robinson said:

“The conclusion is that (Mr Iqbal) hadn’t seen the motorbike until after the collision because, we say, he was using his mobile phone.”

The collision expert said Mr Iqbal could have been looking at the Apple Maps navigation aid or pressing the activate button on Snapchat around the time of the collision. 

Denies driving dangerously

Mr Iqbal, of Toller Lane, Bradford, claimed he hadn’t been using his phone and was on the correct side of the road at the time of the crash. 

He doesn’t dispute that he caused the death of Mr Rushforth but denies that he was driving dangerously. The issues at stake are whether he was in the wrong lane and whether he was using his mobile at the point of collision.

Mr Iqbal’s Amazon colleague said she had received a text from her boss saying that Mr Iqbal had run out of fuel and needed help because he was only on his second day at work and didn’t have a company fuel card. 

She agreed to meet Mr Iqbal at the petrol station in Ripon and sent him a message to make the arrangements about 15 minutes before the collision.

Shortly afterwards, she received a phone call from her boss who told her that Mr Iqbal had been involved in an accident. 

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When she arrived at the scene, she saw an ambulance and a motorbike “by a tree, on its own”. 

She added:

“Paramedics were doing CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) on a man on the ground.”

Graham Atkinson, a friend of Mr Rushworth’s and a fellow motorbike enthusiast, said he received a text from his friend on the day of the crash saying that he was coming to see him and was “setting off in five minutes”.

Mr Atkinson had offered his friend a motorbike and Mr Rushworth was on his way to look at the bike when the fatal crash occurred.

He said Mr Rushworth never showed up and when he tried to call him later that evening, his phone went to voicemail. 

He said they had known each other since the mid-1960s when Mr Rushworth’s parents ran a post office in Ripon. 

He said Mr Rushworth was a “quiet chap” who had a garage in North Street where he kept his motorbikes. 

The trial continues.